Leaked emails seen by The Telegraph show Mr Carswell mocked Mr Farage’s chances of an honour after it was turned down, saying he should be given an award “for services to headline writers”. Mr Carswell denies he was unsupportive.

Last year Mr Farage, who resigned as party leader after the EU referendum, accused the Ukip MP of trying to split the party and suggested the party would be better if he left.

Nigel Farage, former leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and UKIP Party MP Douglas Carswell Credit:
REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett

Mr Carswell’s staunchly anti-EU views granted him an unusually cordial relationship with Ukip, even before his defection, but only last year he hinted that he may rejoin his old party.

Asked if he would consider a move back to the Tories, Mr Carswell told The House magazine in November: “I suspect the next general election will be in 2020, who knows what the world will look like then?”

His response marked a clear departure from his position earlier last year when he answered the same question by saying: “Personally, no disrespect to any of them, but I am through with the Conservatives – I’m not going to become a Conservative again.”